Reading Warlord is like the old Statler and Waldorf routine where they talk themselves out of enjoying the Muppet show, starting off excited and slowly working their way down to heckling the bear. First you’re excited because DC is bringing back a great old property, and the time is ripe for sword and sorcery comics again. Then you’re okay with the creative team, because Bruce Jones did a good job on the Vigilante miniseries and Sears… well, didn’t he have a great run on the Giffen Justice League? Then you’re bummed because you find out it isn’t a continuation of the old story but a “reboot,” but you’re not ready to give up. Then you read the first two issues and, try as you might, you’re just not feeling it.

Having been hurled into the mythical realms of Skartaris, Travis Morgan finds himself fighting for his life against the brutal Prince Brovis this issue. Meanwhile, some of his friends from back home try to find a way to bring him back. The plotline of the story is fine, but it feels overwritten – Jones is trying too hard with the mythic dialogue and writing style and it makes it harder to get through.

Even that wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the art. Bart Sears, based on some of his past work, would seem to be the logical choice, but I just don’t like the artwork on this comics book. It’s way, way too sketchy. While his layouts are fine, the actual details are garbled, almost as if Mike Atiyeh had colored the thumbnail sketches instead of the finished artwork. I’ve come to the conclusion that Sears really needs to work with a separate inker, someone who can give his work the finished look that it lacks.

The writing, while not really popping, could be forgiven if the artwork was good enough to pull the story along, but it’s not. As much as I want to like this book, I can’t give it a real recommendation, and unless something changes soon, I can’t help but think this resurrection of one of the great characters of the 70s and 80s will be short-lived indeed.